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According to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the U.S.’s most influential science advisory institutions, the relatively young field of extreme event attribution science has advanced significantly over the last decade. Scientists can more confidently determine how much human-caused climate change influenced an individual extreme weather or climate event, such as a specific heatwave, flood, or hurricane.
Extreme event attribution researchers do not ask whether climate change caused a specific event. Rather, the question according to Professor Jim Hurrell is, “how would this event have differed in a world without enhanced atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases?”
Hurrell is the Scott Presidential Chair of Environmental Science and Engineering at Colorado State University, and chair of the National Academies committee that conducted the study on the state of extreme event attribution science. Hurrell said the science connects, “global climate change with local experiences.”
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, or NASEM, brings together thousands of experts such as Hurrell to volunteer their time to priority projects. The committee Hurrell led consisted of fourteen experts based out of twelve universities, the National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research, and Sandia National Laboratories.
Hurrell said his experience leading the multi-year NASEM project reflected their stated purpose. According to their website, NASEM provides independent, trustworthy advice and facilitates solutions to complex challenges by mobilizing expertise, practice, and knowledge.
The National Academies committee wrote a piece for The Conversation about their work. Many media outlets have covered the new report, including the New York Times and Politico.
From in-depth studies to collaborative workshops, the work of NASEM is based on scientific evidence and conducted in a non-partisanship manner. “We had a really dedicated committee with broad expertise,” Hurrell said. “We had a statement of task. We had a big job to do, and that’s what we focused on.”
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